By David Crystal

New from Cambridge University Press!

By Peter Mark Roget

This book "supplies a vocabulary of English words and idiomatic phrases 'arranged … according to the ideas which they express'. The thesaurus, continually expanded and updated, has always remained in print, but this reissued first edition shows the impressive breadth of Roget's own knowledge and interests."

Book Information

This book is designed to enable clinicians and clinicians in training tobecome sensitive to a wide range of language phenomena that are importantfor the diagnosis, treatment and research of psychiatric disorders. Theintroductory chapters assume no prior knowledge of linguistics and outlinean approach to language that focuses on meaning and communication rangingfrom cultural issues to syntax and intonation.

The volume deals in turn with the major categories of syndromes inpsychiatry which have language as an important characterizing feature.Linguistic concepts are keyed to diagnostic criteria to make the materialaccessible to the practitioner. For each disorder, the diagnostic criteriathat are related to language are outlined in specific linguistic terms.Thus the familiar diagnostic criteria are enriched with linguisticdescription that ranges from aspects of culture that constrain what canmake sense in the society to aspects of intonation and wording. The volumeis supplemented with appendices that link the diagnostic criteria to thelanguage features that are heard. Over 50 tables and diagrams providesummary information linking psychiatric categories, language features andlanguage examples.

"Fine has a high reputation for publishing across a range of clinicalconditions from anxiety states to the Pervasive Developmental Disorders andis possibly the most currently highly qualified professional to write thishandbook. He has used everyday language and clear examples of normal anddeviant texts to describe and explain problems of intonation, meaning,phonology, grammar and pragmatics. The clinician and general practitioner(general practitioner or Psychiatrist) could open this book and find outforthwith why his/her patient sounds odd."Bill Fraser, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, University of Wales Collegeof Medicine